Merlin AUs
by kittycat1810
Summary: These are stories, mostly oneshots, that are just a bunch of AUs I came up with for Merlin. First: demon slayer
1. Demon Slayer

**These stories will mainly be oneshots, but I may continue some. Italics are thoughts. **

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**Arthur's POV, Merlin is not present**

"It was a monster. Something straight from Hell itself, sire." The very young peasant woman said. "It was covered in scales and slithered like a serpent. Fire came out of its mouth. Sharp teeth, like daggers, came out of its mouth and-and… it killed everyone."

_I've never heard of anything like that._ "Thank you for letting me know." I said as I walked down the stairs of the throne room and grabbed her hands. "I promise you that I will do everything I can to avenge your village. The Court Physician, Gaius, will take care of you until we can find somewhere for you to stay."

Gaius walked over and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Come with me, I'll give you something to calm your nerves."

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**Later**

"This Round Table meeting because of that creature that attacked the village?" Gwaine asked.

"What monster?" Merlin asked. "What village?"

"According to the woman, it was covered in scales and walked slithered like a serpent, and fire and sharp teeth came out of its mouth. It attacked Lison." I told him. "Gaius, do you have any idea what it is?"

"No, sire. None of my books say anything about such a creature, nor have I heard anything about it. However, I managed to find similar creatures in one of my books. They were all demons." Gaius said.

"Demons?" Merlin and I said, clearly surprised.

"Yes. Only the demon slayers know of how to kill them." Gaius said.

"Many of their weapons and ways of fighting the demons were magical. My father had all of them killed. Their help would've been helpful…" I said. _I guess we'll be going into this blind._

"I may know of one who escaped to Odin's lands." Gaius said.

I turned to look at him. "Try to contact him; we need his help. I don't want to go into this blind."

"Of course, sire. I will go to send the letter." Gaius said, getting up and walking from the room.

"Anything you need tonight, your pratness?" Merlin asked.

"No, _Mer_lin. Go help Gaius." I said as Merlin smirked, got up, and followed Gaius.

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**Merlin's POV, In Gaius' Chambers**

"Gaius, you know a demon slayer?" I asked, furious he hadn't told me.

"Yes. However, he is around my age. But, he will be able to tell Arthur and the knights how to fight whatever that thing is." He turned to look at me. "I would not out you so easily, Merlin. I believe that Conner will come. Now, you should get a good night's sleep. Go to bed, Merlin."

"Alright. Goodnight Gaius." I said as I walked up to my room.

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**A Few Days Later, Arthur's POV**

The demon slayer arrived at Camelot this morning. He was much older than I had expected and I'm not sure he'll be able to help. I called a meeting of the Round Table and invited the demon slayer, Conner, to come as well. Merlin gave up his seat to Conner and sat by the window instead. I explained to him what we were getting ready to fight.

"I have heard of it, but I have not hunted in almost twenty years. I'm afraid I can not be of much help. However, I am not the last demon slayer. There is at least one other, who is currently residing here, in Camelot. It is his choice whether to out himself or not. But I do believe that Camelot will perish without his aid." Conner said before sitting down.

"Sire, if the other hunter were to out himself and help defeat the monster, no matter what means he would use, would you arrest him or punish him for it?" Gaius asked.

I sighed. "No. We need his help. He would save our lives; not punishing him would be the least I could do."

"Perhaps he will. Since Camelot would _be destroyed without him_." Gaius said. _Why is he emphasizing that?_

"Maybe. After all, he lives in Camelot and, no doubt, has people he cares about in Camelot. If he does not do something, _they will die._" Conner said, looking out the window. _What is up with them?_

"Okay, okay, alright already!" Merlin said, standing up and walking to the table. He took a knife out of a hidden sheath and stuck it into the table. _Why is he talking?! _"We're dealing with a Caorthannach; a fire-breathing snake demon. Particularly nasty, but not impossible to beat. We'll need water, wintergreen, silver-tipped arrows, and other silver-tipped weapons. Demons hate that. This thing is fairly fast, but its large, giving us a larger target to hit. It also cannot turn quickly, but it can fly so we'll need to watch for aerial attacks. Wear some, but not all or your armor. You'll need to be quick." _What the hell?!_

"And how the hell would you know any of this, _Mer_lin?" I sneered. _How would an idiot like him know anything about this?_

Merlin sighed and pulled up his left arm sleeve, showing a symbol that looked like a dragon or a demon with a sword going through it. "I thought I was the last one. My mother was trained by her father to teach her son how to be a slayer, so she taught me. She taught me everything I know about monsters, demon, and how to slay them… Never ask her for a lullaby though. They tend to be creepy… and usually have an axe involved. I like axes. Axes are useful." Merlin went off topic towards the end.

"Wait, _you're_ a demon slayer?!" I yelled.

"Yepp! Did you not get that from the whole speech, dollop head?"

"When and what was your first kill?" Conner asked, smiling.

Merlin smiled back "I was seven and I killed a hellhound. Nasty thing. And it tried to kill my mother." Merlin's eyes grew dark. "_No one tries to kill my mother_."

"You killed a hellhound at seven?! I didn't kill one until I was of age… Very impressive. You talked about your mother, but who is your father?" Conner asked Merlin. _Merlin is good at something? And who is his father?_

"Umm…" Merlin hummed.

"Merlin, Arthur said that you would not be punished." Gaius said. _Why would I punish him for who his father is?_

"I haven't feared dying in several years Gaius… It's more of a change in thinking or trust. I terrify myself sometimes, why wouldn't someone else be afraid of me?!" Merlin said, looking scared. _Why is he scared of himself?_

"Merlin, anyone who knows you knows who you are loyal to and that you don't want to hurt anyone. You do what you must to protect the people you care about. No one could fault you for that." Gaius said, putting a comforting hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"O-okay. M-my father was Balinor, the Last Dragon Lord… or so everyone thought. Kind of ironic: a demon slayer who is also a dragon lord… I have lots of responsibilities."

"Obviously." Conner gave Merlin a knowing look. "When will you be leaving?"

"As soon as we get everything together. This thing needs to die." Merlin said with conviction.

"I can tell the royal forge that we need the weapons by tomorrow. You all should begin packing. Conner, I will organize a guest room for you in the castle." Gwen said. Conner looked like he was about to protest "No, no, I insist. While you are here, you will be treated as a guest. Please come with me." Gwen lead Conner away.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" I asked Merlin.

"Being a demon slayer is considered magic, and therefore against the law. It's also dangerous, very dangerous, and, knowing you, you would have thought me incapable and come with me. You could have been killed and then Camelot would be without a king. As for why I didn't tell you that I was a dragon lord: it is also against the law. Though I don't think I would've been killed, you shouldn't have to ignore the law for me." Merlin said. _Damn it. I hate it when he's right…_

I sighed. "Fine. But if you're a dragon lord, why did you make us go to find Balinor? You told me you didn't know your father. Why didn't you stop the dragon earlier?" I yelled.

"Sire, the abilities of a dragon lord are passed from father to son when the father dies. He couldn't stop the dragon." Gaius said.

"And I hadn't known my father when I told you that. I only found out the day we left." Merlin said.

"Fine. Go pack. We'll leave as soon as possible." I said, putting my face in my hands and sighing as everyone got up.

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**The End for now. So, what'd you think? Please review! I will continue this! **


	2. Fae

**Thanks for the positive reviews! It really does encourage me to write more quickly.**

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**Merlin's POV**

It started as a normal day. I woke up and hurriedly put on my clothes because I was late for waking the prat up. For some reason though, my shirt felt weird on my back. I shrugged off the feeling and went down the stairs to grab a sandwich before I left. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Gaius said "Merlin you're-" He cut off and stared at me in shock.

"Gaius, what is it?" I asked. _He's acting very strange._

"Blue. You're blue. You're blue and you're eyes are glowing gold." Gaius said.

I looked at my skin only to see that it was a light blue color with turquoise designs decorating it. "G-Gaius…" I started breathing heavily. _What is happening to me?! Why am I blue?!_

"Shhh, calm down, Merlin. Let's go up to your room and figure out what is going on." I ran upstairs, Gaius following behind, and sat on my bed with my head in my hands.

"G-Gaius. W-what's happening to me?!" I asked, panicked.

"I do not know… Merlin, why is your back twitching?" He asked me.  
"W-what?"

"Take off your shirt."

I did as I was told and heard Gaius gasp. I looked over my shoulder to see fairy wings coming out of my back. "G-Gaius!" I knew I was freaking out, but I couldn't help it. I felt my magic seep out of me, making everything around me float. That included Gaius and the bed I was sitting on.

"Merlin! Merlin, calm down! Freaking out won't do anything to help!" Gaius said, managing to make his way to me. "Breathe, Merlin, breathe. In, out. In, out. There you go…" I breathed like he told me to and everything floated gently to the ground.  
Then I started panicking again when a familiar voice yelled "Gaius, where is the idiot?"

"Lay down and cover yourself completely with your blanket." Gaius told me and he waited for me to do so before he went down the stairs. "I'm sorry, Sire, but Merlin is sick today. He won't be able to work today." _Good story, Gaius. But how long will he be able to keep that story up?_

"Alright." Arthur sighed. "But the idiot better be healthy by tomorrow."

I heard the door open and close before my door creaked open. "He's gone, Merlin. I will keep this up as long as I can and we can see if my books say anything. Right now, I fear we may have to sneak you out of the city." Gaius said. Later that day, he brought a huge pile of books up.

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**Gaius' POV**

A week has passed and we still cannot find anything. None of my books speak of skin turning blue and wings appearing. Merlin has become depressed and fearful; I cannot say I blame him. His magic keeps getting out of control and he is certainly becoming more powerful. Much more powerful. Tonight he is going to meet with Kilgarrah. I can only pray that he will have the answers.

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**Merlin's POV**

I put on the dark blue cloak that the druids gave me and left the safety of Gaius' chambers. I managed to make it near the gate before "Halt! Who goes there?" two guards stopped me and one spun me around, revealing my blue face and golden eyes. "Monster!" he yelled, swinging his sword at me. I took off running, using my magic to trip the two guards up. When I finally got away from them, I headed back to Gaius'. "Any luck?" he asked me when I came in.

"Didn't even get out of the gates. Two guards happened to catch a blue 'monster' and I barely managed to escape." I said, taking off my cloak.  
"Oh, Merlin…" Gaius got up and hugged me, hands rubbing the spot between my wings.

"Arthur's getting frustrated. He won't keep taking me being sick as an excuse." I said.  
"We will have to keep looking, then. We will find something, my boy. We will find something." Gaius patted me on the back as I went upstairs to keep reading.

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**Next Morning, Merlin's POV**

I guess I must have fallen asleep at some point during the night because the next thing I knew, the blankets were being ripped off me and Arthur yelped in shock. I bolted upright and tried to get away from him, falling off my bed in the process. I huddled in the corner, trembling, as Arthur looked me over, sword pointed at me. "M-Merlin?" He asked hesitantly. Gaius was standing in the doorway, paler than I have ever seen him.

"A-Arthur… I-I" I stuttered.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" He asked, lowering his sword to his side.

"I-I don't know. I w-woke up like this s-several d-days ago… I don't know what's happening to me!" I started crying, hugging my knees to my chest. "I was already a freak and now I'm a monster!" I sobbed harder.  
"Merlin, look at me." I felt Arthur's hand on my shoulder. I looked up and met his blue eyes. "_Never_ think that. You are _not_ a monster." Gaius left as Arthur's words helped me a bit. I didn't feel like I was as much of a monster… _but the guards from last night… They only looked at me and called me a monster_. As if reading my mind, Arthur said "The guards from last night… They say they saw a blue monster… Merlin, were you trying to leave Camelot?"

"I'll be killed if I stay. And… maybe there're some druids who would know what is happening to me." I said.

"I'd never let you be killed!"

"It's not just you! The older knights, the townspeople, the nobles. They'd all kill me!"

"I would never let them… but I do see where you are coming from. I could say we are going on a hunt while we go to see the druids? I may have a cloak that is large enough to hide your skin…" Arthur said, contemplatively. _Most of the plan works…_

"I have a cloak that will work, but won't people wonder why you aren't bringing any knights?"

Arthur sighed. "Maybe… if you're alright with it, of course… I could bring the knights and we could tell them on the way?"

My head shot up from my knees and I turned to face him "No! No, no, no, no, no. They can't know!"

"Merlin, they'd accept you! Most of them are far more loyal to you than they are to me. I will swear them to secrecy beforehand and any of them who do not accept you will be told to make their own way back to Camelot. If they tell, I will have them executed for treason." Arthur tried to reason.

"No! They should not be killed for that. I don't want anyone to die because of the beliefs they have been taught to have… But I guess I can tell them…"

"Alright then! All's settled. We'll ride out in two hours and I'll have another servant prepare the supplies. Oh, and, Merlin-" Arthur hugged me before he got up and went to the door, "everything will be alright. I swear it." And, somehow, I believed him.

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**Arthur's POV**

Just like I'd said, we rode out two hours after I talked to Merlin. When we made camp that night, I stood up and everyone looked at me. "I'm sure you all have figured out that this is no hunting trip and that you've noticed Merlin is wearing a cloak that hides his skin. He gave me his permission to tell you why, this morning. Something has occurred that appears to have turned Merlin's skin blue and his eyes gold. We are going to the druids to see if they know why this has happened to him. Do any of you have objections?" I asked, looking at my knights for any doubt or hesitance. No one objected.

"Just one question, Merlin: Do you have magic?" Gwaine asked. Merlin froze and I felt his eyes on me.

"Merlin, you will not be punished." I told him.

"Y-yes… I don't know how."

"You got it when you turned blue?" I asked him.

He looked down as if he was ashamed. "N-no. I don't know how, but I was born with it. No one has ever been born with magic before. I'm a freak and a monster…" he said, hugging himself.  
I saw a tear fall from under his hood and went over to him, wincing as he flinched, and hugged him tightly. "What did I say before? You are not a monster and never let anyone tell you otherwise. You are not a freak, either; simply different. And, face it Merlin, it's not your magic that makes you different: it's your heart. I don't know anyone who is more pure-hearted than you are. Don't you ever forget that."

He sniffed and said "Thank you… Who's the girl now, clotpole?"

We pulled away and he wiped his eyes. "Probably the one who's crying." I said, lightly punching his shoulder.

"Awww, that was cute!" Gwaine said.

"Shut up!" I smacked Gwaine upside the head.

"We should probably get some sleep. The camp isn't too far away, but the past times I have visited were always exhausting." Merlin said and we all fell asleep.

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**Arthur's POV, Next Day**

"How much farther?" Elyan asked me as we rode over yet another hill.

"Merlin?" I directed the question to him.

"Isledir said he and one other will come and meet us at the top of this hill." Merlin said, pointing to the top. "I told him to look for the cloak that he gave me so that he could tell it was us."

When we reached the top of the hill, we dismounted but no one was there. At least, not that we could see. "Merlin!" Someone yelled and Merlin found himself tackled into a hug by a young looking man.

"Gilly?!" Merlin asked back, not realizing his hood fell down.

"Wow, what happened to you?" Gilly asked as they both sat up.  
"I don't know. I was hoping someone at the camp would have the answer." Merlin looked up at Isledir.

Isledir looked down at Merlin, a sympathetic expression on his face. "I know what is happening, but the prophecies never mentioned this…"

"What? What is happening to me?" Merlin asked, standing up.

"Emrys, it seems that you are a fae." Isledir said in a grim voice.

Merlin's eyes grew wide "W-what? B-but I know my mother and I got the gift of the dragon lord from my father! A-and fae are evil!"

"The fae have been known to give away their children and they have shown the abilities of a dragon lord. It would also explain your magic. The fae are raised by fae and, therefore, are taught to be evil. You, however, were raised as a human and, therefore, you were taught to be good. Being a fae does not make you evil, Emrys." Isledir said.

Merlin looked down. "Well, at least I know how I was born with magic… My mother has a lot of questions to answer though." He said. _Well, looks like we're going to Ealdor…_

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**The end for now, but I'll write more of this later. **


	3. Dragon Ritual

**This was inspired by the song "Journey to the North" (I think it's by Trinity) on youtube.**

**Ostara: ****First day of Spring, actual Vernal or Spring Equinox, Celebrates the birth of spring, rebirth; Time of planting; Rare day of magic due to the rare balance of light and dark. In this, there are knights other than Leon, Gwaine, Lancelot, Percival, and Elyan, but they aren't a main part of it.**

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**Merlin's POV**

Gaius and the druids have both warned me about Ostara. Ostara is known to give magic users more power, making mine nearly uncontrollable. Ever since my coming of age, my magic has grown quicker than ever, so, this year I am going to the Valley of the Fallen Kings. According to Isledir, the druid elder that usually teaches me, and Alator, the dragon lords preformed a ritual on Ostara and one of the dragon lords, usually the elder, would transform into a half-dragon. Apparently, all dragon lords could transform, but it took years to master… Gaius is worried that I will transform before I leave the night before… I think he's overreacting…

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**Arthur's POV, A Week Before Ostara**

"Ostara is a magical holiday. Therefore, I want guards at all of the gates to the city. I want to know the name of _everyone_ who leaves on Ostara, or the evening before. I don't care if you know them; we all know that sorcerers can be anyone." I told my knights. They all nodded their heads and left to attend their other duties. My stomach growled, so I went to my chambers to wait for Merlin to finish cleaning out the stables. _Where is he? I want my food…_

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**Arthur's POV, The Night Before Ostara**

"Sire, Merlin was seen leaving the city." Leon said after he knocked, _unlike someone else I know_, and came into my chambers.

"What? Why?" I asked, sitting up in my chair.

"He said he was collecting herbs for Gaius… but we asked Gaius where Merlin was. Gaius said Merlin was at the Tavern…"

"Tell the Knights to grab their gear. We leave immediately." I said, getting up to gather my things.

Not a half-hour later, we were riding into the woods, tracking Merlin. We followed his, surprisingly subtle, trail to where he was sleeping by a small fire. At first, I didn't recognize him. He was wearing a dark blue cloak with dark-silver designs on them.

Leon's horse took a few steps so that it was next to mine. Leon said "Arthur, we shouldn't let him know we are here. You know how he gets: he'd get insulted that we thought he needed us to pick herbs.

"Come on. We know Merlin. We should go back to Camelot. What if someone attacks while we are gone?" Lancelot asked.

"The other knights can handle it. I, for one, am curious as to why Merlin is outside of Camelot, claiming to be collecting herbs for Gaius, while Gaius thinks he is at the Tavern. For now, we will set up camp. He won't be going anywhere tonight." I said. We rode a bit away and set up camp before falling asleep for the night.

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**Merlin's POV, On Ostara**

_Wow._ As soon as I woke up, I could feel the life-magic flowing all around me. My magic pulsated to the same rhythm as the magic around me. It felt amazing; I've never felt so _alive_! The only bad thing was that my back and top of my head itched. It felt like something was trying to come out of my back and head, but I pushed the feeling down and grinned; nothing could annoy me much today. I used my magic to clean up my campsite so that no one would know I had been here, before continuing the journey to the Valley of the Fallen Kings.

I reached it before midday and walked into the Valley, bringing the herbs I had collected over the past few weeks that Isledir had said I would need.  
"Emrys!" I heard a familiar voice yell.

"Alator! Isledir!" I ran up to them, the smile I had woken up with still on my face. "Do you feel it? It's _amazing_!"

"We feel a hum, but I am sure that you feel much more, Emrys." Alator said, chuckling at my enthusiasm.

"What does it feel like to you?" Isledir asked as we walked further into the valley.

"Everything is so _alive_! I feel magic everywhere, but none of it is dark, or corrupt. It's all _light_ and _life_. It's everywhere. It-it's like…" I trailed off, not knowing how to describe the amazing feeling. From the looks that Alator and Isledir were giving me, I could tell that they understood what I couldn't find the words to say.

"Has your back started itching?" Alator asked.

"Yeah. It's been itching since this morning and it feels like something is trying to come out of my back." I said, unconsciously scratching at it.

"It won't be long, then. That is your dragon lord transformation letting you know that it is ready. There have never been any cases of one so young transforming, but, all things considered, I suppose it is to be expected." Alator told me.

Isledir lightly grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a grassy area by a lake with a beautiful waterfall. "You might as well transform now. The itching and aching will only get worse until you do. You will want to lay down seeing as the transformation can be a bit… painful. Take off your shirt and lay down. Then, just allow what wants out to come out" _So, it will be excruciating…_

I took off my shirt and cloak and laid in the grass. Breathing deep, I let myself relax before the pain hit. "Ahhhhhhh!"

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**Arthur's POV**

Leon, who was the last guard last night, woke us up to tell us when Merlin was up. By the time we had our campsite cleaned up, Merlin was already leaving. We quickly followed after. We stopped and watched as he reached the entrance to the Valley of the Fallen Kings. Two cloaked men stepped out of the shadows. "Emrys!" a voice yelled.

Merlin ran towards them "Alator! Isledir! Do you feel it? It's _amazing_!"

"We feel a hum, but I am sure that you feel much more, Emrys." One of the cloaked men said, chuckling.

"What does it feel like to you?" the other man asked as they walked further into the valley. We followed after.

"Everything is so _alive_! I feel magic everywhere, but none of it is dark, or corrupt. It's all _light_ and _life_. It's everywhere. It-it's like…" Merlin trailed off. _Feel magic? Light and life? What is he talking about?!_

"Sire?" Leon whispered, sounding as surprised and confused as I did.

"Has your back started itching?" the first man asked.

"Yeah. It's been itching since this morning and it feels like something is trying to come out of my back." Merlin said, scratching his back.

"It won't be long, then. That is your dragon lord transformation letting you know that it is ready. There have never been any cases of one so young transforming, but, all things considered, I suppose it is to be expected." The first man said. _Merlin's a dragon lord?! What transformation?!_

"He has magic…" I whispered. The knights all looked shocked, except Lancelot.

The second man pulled Merlin to a grassy area by a lake with a waterfall. "You might as well transform now. The itching and aching will only get worse until you do. You will want to lay down seeing as the transformation can be a bit… painful. Take off your shirt and lay down. Then, just allow what wants out to come out." _Oh no._

Merlin took off his shirt and cloak and laid in the grass. A few seconds later, he let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Merlin!" I tried to go to him, but Lancelot held me back.

"You can't help him with this, Arthur. This is something he has to do himself. You couldn't help him anyway. You have no idea what is going on." He said. I watched in horror as black, dragon-like wings sprang from his back and patches of black scales appeared all over his body.

"Did you know about this?" I asked him.

Lancelot looked down. "Yes. He never _told_ me though. He had learned a spell to defeat the griffin, but hadn't been able to successfully perform it. It was kind of hard to ignore Merlin yelling in another language, my lance catching on blue fire, then my lance killing the griffin when all other weapons had broken. He'd been so scared when I told him I knew…"

"You lied when you pledged your loyalty to me." I glared at Lancelot.

He looked at me, hurt and confused. "No. My loyalty lies with Merlin, but his loyalty will always be with you. I wasn't lying because I know that he will always be loyal to you. You have no idea how many times he saved your life, and almost died doing it!"

"Why would he? He has magic. All magic users are evil and I have killed many of them. Why would he help me?" I asked.

"Because he has seen the king you will become. He has faith that you will do what is just; as do I." Lancelot looked up at me.

"I will pass my judgment later." I said, as I looked back to where Merlin was beginning to get up.

"Ughhh. Ow. That was painful." _No duh._ I thought as Merlin stated the obvious. Once he was standing, I could see two small horns, about 8 inches long, coming out of his head. He looked over his shoulder and flapped one of his wings. "That feels odd."

"Yes, well, you are unused to them." One of the men said.

"What else must I do?" Merlin asked.

"Tonight at moon-high, you must perform the ritual we taught you around a fire. Until then, you may do whatever you want. I would suggest using some of your magic so that it won't build up. You said it got painful." The other man said.

"Yeah, it feels like my magic is burning. Well, thanks. Oh, and, keep an eye on Camelot for me? I want to know if anyone attacks. The last thing Camelot needs is a super-powerful magic-user attacking…" Merlin said. _So it's true… he does have magic._ It was one thing to conclude that Merlin had magic, but to hear him say it.  
"Of course, Emrys." Both men left.

"Oof." Merlin flopped onto his stomach on the grass. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. _Still a lazy idiot._

"Emrys…" A ghostly voice said. "Emrys…"

Merlin sat up as a small light floated closer to him. "A fairy…. Who are you?" he asked it.

"My name is Glenn. So, you are really Emrys?" the fairy fluttered over excitedly.

"Yes, that is what the druids call me." Merlin said. _How often has he come in contact with the druids?_

"Arthur _is_ the one then? The one that will free magic?"

"I believe so." Merlin said hesitantly. "He will do what he believes to be right."

"What if he doesn't free magic? Would you kill him like everyone is pressuring you to now?"

"No! Never!" the fairy flew back, trembling, as Merlin yelled. "I will never hurt him. He is my friend, whether he believes magic is good or evil. I will do everything I can to protect him until the day I die." _He has said that before… but he has magic…_

"What if he finds out and puts you on the pyre?"

Merlin shuddered, but answered, sounding honest. "I'm not sure. I don't know if I would let him kill me or if I would escape… If I die, who would stop the sorcerers who use their magic to harm others? I would probably escape and keep protecting Camelot…"

"Why? They would've betrayed you… tried to kill you…"

"They are my friends. Besides, not everyone in Camelot has killed magic-users. They are lead to their hatred by the law. The law says that magic is evil, so the people will believe it to be so. What would taking Camelot and killing non-magic people anyway? We may have Camelot, and our freedom, for a while, but then those without magic would rebel and overthrow us. It would start a cycle of massacres. Magic is not used correctly if it intentionally harms someone, without the magic-user being threatened. Magic is supposed to be _life_ and _light_, not _death_ and _destruction_. Yet so many use it for their own means and the wrong reasons." Merlin snorted. "Then wonder why no one will grant them freedom." _That can't be true… All magic users are evil… but he's __**Merlin**__... He's not evil._

The fairy landed on the ground next to Merlin as he closed his eyes. "What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Feeling. Can't you feel the magic?"

"I feel it in you and my people in the woods, but that's the only magic I feel."

Merlin sighed. "Just another way I'm a freak, then."

Suddenly, a large flapping sound made us look up. The Great Dragon soared into the clearing and landed, a small, white dragon right behind it. "Hello, young warlock."

All of our mouths fell. "It can _talk_?" Leon said, amazed.

"Kilgarrah, Aithusa. You've been staying away from Camelot, haven't you? You better have been staying out of trouble. And if I find out you hurt someone, you're dead." Merlin said. _Did he just nag a dragon?_

The Great Dragon chuckled. "Even if I had not wanted to, I must. You commanded me to, as you put it, 'stay out of trouble' therefore, I could not 'get into trouble' if I wanted to. You also commanded that I stay away from Camelot and that I not kill anyone who does not have evil intentions. I have killed no one."

"Good. I think I'm going to take a nap. Between doing chores for Arthur, doing chores for Gaius, druid training, saving Camelot, saving the knights, and saving the clotpole, I'm exhausted." Merlin said, laying on his stomach once again.

"Of course." The Great Dragon laid down between Merlin and the entrance to the valley while the younger dragon tucked itself into Merlin's side before it laid down to sleep.

"Okay, so dragons can talk and Merlin is a dragon lord, has magic, and needs to perform some ritual… nothing weird going on here." Gwaine said, sarcastically.

"He's lied all these years…" I said.

"He's saved your life, and Camelot, all these years." Lancelot said. "Considering how many times you have told him that magic is evil, people with magic are monsters, and that evil corrupts, can you blame him?" _No…_

I sighed. "I don't know."

"Do you think he's evil?"

"I don't know." All the knights gave me odd looks at that, but left it alone.

For hours we sat, watching, before Merlin began to toss and turn. "No… Please… I-I'm not a monster! I'm not!... Arthur, please!" _What…?_ "No! Please! Not the pyre… I'm not evil! Gwen, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, Leon, please! No, not Lancelot. He didn't know! No… No! Gaius knew nothing! Leave him alone! Please! You can kill me, but leave them alone! No!" Merlin screamed in fear and sadness, then seemed to give up, sobbing. The small dragon hid behind the larger one, while the larger one yelled for Merlin to wake up. We thought it was over, but then. "No! Please! Ahhhhhhh!" He screamed in agony.

I couldn't take it anymore. I ran into the clearing, ignoring the yells for me to stop and come back. When I reached Merlin, I shook him awake. "Merlin! It's okay! You're alright! Everyone is _okay_!" Merlin still seemed to be stuck in his nightmare, but I hugged him close as he sobbed. "You're alright Merlin. You're safe. You're safe."

After a while, he calmed down. "A-Arthur? W-What are you d-doing here?" He asked, trembling with fear in his eyes.  
"The Knights were worried about you…" I said, avoiding Merlin's eyes. "Now I see it was a good thing we came."

Merlin wiped his eyes, leaving faint scratches where his claws cut into his skin. He looked at his hands, then at his wings before his eyes grew wide. "I-I can explain!"

"Don't bother. You're a dragon lord that has magic and has to perform some ritual. We've been following you all day." I told him.

"And… you-you don't… care?" Merlin asked, looking like a pig had just flown in front of him.

"Oh, I care and you'll have a lot of explaining to do… but, Merlin… I don't think you're any more evil than a woman's hairbrush."

He gave me a thankful and strange look. "Thanks… but, a woman's hairbrush? Really?"

"It's the least evil thing I could think of, alright?" I grumbled.

Merlin laughed, and I couldn't help but join him.

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**The end! Suggestions are welcome! Please review!**


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